Smoke
by Chewy Kimono
Summary: Years of built up emotions and selfless devotion died in that fire, with the only trace left being the trails of airborne ashes floating to the sky..."


I know, I know-I'm still working on my other stories. I'm too impatient with this stuff! ~_~ But anyway, this is something I'd written, so I decided I might as well post it. It's my first (and probably last) songfic; I've never written any, but the lyrics to this song fit very well to the scenario. So, I decided to try and go for it. In fact, the lyrics are much better for the story than the excerpts I wrote.. ~_~ But anyway, please read and tell me what you think! I'm curious as to what you guys think of it.  
By the way, if you've never heard the song, I highly recommend downloading it or something. It's an awesome song, and it'll help a little better so the lyrics don't just look like random poetry.  
  
Disclaimer: The song "Smoke" belongs to Ben Folds Five, and "Hey, Arnold!" belongs to Craig Bartlett or whatever people in business suits own stuff like that.  
  
  
  
  
  
An uneven and broken glow flickered in the corner of the empty living room as a figure sat solitary on the floor in front of the blaze.  
It was Helga, and her shadow blinked along the wall with each dance of the flames jumping around in the fireplace.  
The only sound in the room was the soft crumbling of burning wood with an occasional pop or crackle that echoed through the walls.  
The flames danced in the reflection of Helga's eyes as she stared blankly into the hypnotizing beast.  
She was kneeling next to a pile of small books as she gazed thoughtfully in a direction other than the journals filled with years of devotion and poetry.  
But although she gazed so intently into the fire, she could not see it.  
All she could see was that kiss. That one moment shared by Arnold and Lila that branded Helga's heart like a hot iron.  
It was over. Arnold was gone.  
She picked up a book.  
  
"Leaf by leaf, page by page  
Throw this book away  
All the sadness all the rage  
Throw this book away"  
  
The fire began to crackle loudly; it seemed almost pleased by the morbid addition to its soul.  
It wasn't just any fuel thrown in to burn that fire: it was Helga's love.  
She forcefully crumpled each page from the book before throwing it into the hungry beast that beckoned for more.   
  
"Rip out the binding tear the glue  
All of the grief we never even knew  
we had it all along  
now it's smoke"  
  
Helga was done with being naïve. She was done with being a fool.  
It was all useless, doing nothing but tearing her apart.  
So she would get revenge by ripping her love to pieces and throwing it in the fire.  
To her, her love wasn't simply an emotion.  
It was a whole other being; a monster that tore down her safe, protective walls.  
Pataki's could not afford to be weak.  
  
"The things written in it  
never really happened  
All of the people come and gone  
never really lived  
All of the people come have gone  
No one to forgive... smoke"  
  
Years of built up emotions and selfless devotion died in that fire, with the only trace left being the trails of airborne ashes floating into the sky.  
No more masks. No more hiding. No more games. It would all be over soon  
Soon it would all be gone.  
Helga had gone on long enough with her empty hopes and dreams. It was nothing but a fake vision.  
Who was she kidding? All those years, she was enveloped in nothing but a sick joke, trapped in her own foolish imagination.  
  
"We will never write a new one  
There will not be a new one  
Another one another one"  
  
The pile next to Helga grew smaller, and the shrine that had been taken from her closet had long been eaten by the orange creature.  
  
"Here's an evening dark with shame  
throw it on the fire  
Here's the time I took the blame  
throw it on the fire  
Here's the time we didn't speak,  
it seemed for years and years  
Here's a secret  
no one will ever know the reasons for the tears  
They are smoke"  
  
Helga glared angrily at the burning pages as she thought of all the times she spent thinking of him.  
All the dreams, wasted. All the sacrifices she made, in vain. All the love in her heart, poisoned with regret.  
It was no use. He didn't know. He never would.  
It was too late. All that was left... was smoke.  
  
"Where do all the secrets live  
They travel in the air  
You can smell them when they burn  
They travel"  
  
The ashes passed as faint smoke along the evening air as Arnold walked past Helga's house.  
He stopped as he noticed her fireplace was lit. It was never lit. "Too homey," Helga had scoffed.  
But Arnold would never know exactly what was in the air as it tickled at his nose.  
  
"Those who say the past is not dead  
stop and smell the smoke  
You keep saying the past is not dead  
come and smell the smoke  
You keep saying the past is not even past  
You keep saying"  
  
Something tugged at Arnold's heart as he stood alone across from the house with one dimly lit room.  
He crossed the street and, not realizing what he was doing, knocked on the door.  
He just figured after growing apart for so long, that he wanted to patch things up. Give their friendship another try.  
After all, junior high was over in a few days, and then they'd be in high school where it would be too hard to get back in touch.  
But Helga did not come to the door.  
Arnold waited for a few moments, wondering if she was home.  
The girl sat silently in front of the fire as it licked its fingers from the last of its meal.  
Helga's heart was empty.  
Arnold's stomach was empty.  
He went home to eat.  
She went upstairs to cry.  
Life went on.  
  
"We are, smoke"  
  
  
fin 


End file.
